10 Alternatives To Drinking At A Holiday Party

Holiday get-togethers tend to be rife with booze. From the pub crawls on so-called “Blackout Wednesday” to the clinking flutes of New Year’s Eve champagne, the alcohol flows especially freely at this time of year. If you’re trying to cut back on your consumption or have made a commitment to sobriety, holiday get-togethers can be especially challenging.

But there are plenty of awesome ways to get into the spirit without sipping spirits, even when you’ve gathered with your loved ones around the yule log. Here are a few of the best alternatives to drinking at holiday parties to help keep you on the wagon and ensure that you have a joyful — and hangover-free — holiday season.

1. Sip Fancy Mocktails

The art of mixology is one of the few redeeming qualities about alcohol. The skill of perfectly balancing flavors, delivering the most elegant pours and creating Instagram-worthy garnishes is one many mixology-loving former drinkers miss. But you don’t actually need alcohol to create exquisite cocktails. With mouthwatering non-alcoholic sparkling rosé, for example, you can create alcohol-free beverages worthy of the best cocktail bars. Set up a mocktail station at your holiday party with plenty of fun seasonal garnishes to get all your sober guests into the holiday spirit.

2. Have an Alcohol-Free Toast

The toast is a tradition best enjoyed with loved ones around the holiday table or after the ball has dropped at midnight, but it’s also one that can be risky for those in recovery. Instead of eliminating the tradition all together, consider passing around glasses of alcohol-free champagne and keeping the cheers alive. There are also many toast-worthy alcohol-free beer options, including delicious non-alcoholic IPA beer, for your guests who aren’t huge on the bubbles and sparkles.

3. Play Enthralling Board Games

Giving your guests an activity to do together can help keep them focused on enjoying one another’s company without thinking about the lack of alcohol. Try out some of the popular board games out there or go classic with old favorites like Monopoly or Scrabble.

A group of people playing a board game

Description automatically generated

4. Do an Eggnog Taste Test

Forget craft beer flights! This time of year, it’s all about the eggnog flight. Before the party, gather as many different alcohol-free eggnogs as you can find at your local grocery store or farmer’s market, making sure to check with local dairy farms. Set them out in tasting glasses so your guests can sample and rate each one. Make sure to record your findings and reference them next year so you know which brand is best. During Thanksgiving, you could do the same thing with apple cider.

5. Taste Test and Rate Seasonal Foodstuffs

In addition to eggnog and cider, the grocery store shelves are chock-full of all sorts of seasonal novelty snacks and desserts at this time of year, including pumpkin spice everything. Head to your local market and pick up as many seasonally flavored food items as you can find and ask your guests to taste and rate them. From popular options like pumpkin spice Oreos and Twinkies to bizarre creations like pumpkin spice potato chips and hummus, you can go as safe or as out-there as you want with this mouthwatering (or revolting, depending on who you ask) holiday activity.

6. Make a Next-Level Charcuterie Board

You might have some extra cash in the budget and free time on your hands now that you’ve ditched alcohol, so why not channel it into something delicious and creative? We love the idea of creating an elaborate gourmet meat and cheese board for your guests to enjoy as they mingle and settle in for the evening. Thrill your vegetarian and vegan guests with an alternative that might end up being the party favorite.

A table full of fruits and vegetables

Description automatically generated with low confidence

7. Whip Up Elaborate Coffee

In sober communities, coffee reigns supreme, and it’s not hard to see why. It brings a warmth and energy kick after dinner and can be customized to every guest’s palate. If you have a group of coffee gourmands on the guestlist, go big with some delicious coffee creations featuring small-batch beans and special accoutrements. If you don’t own a fancy espresso machine, you can still make coffeehouse-level creations with a few pieces of at-home gear and extras, such as a milk frother and flavored syrups. Don’t forget to keep some decaf and dairy-free creamer on hand!

8. Host a Sober Secret Santa Gift Exchange

If you want to keep your guests engaged and create memories through fun activities, consider hosting a secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange. Set the rules (no booze!), determine a budget and draw names. There are many classic and unconventional Secret Santa gift exchange formats to try, so you can tailor the swap to your friend group and make it funny, serious or charitable.

9. Have a Gift-Wrapping Contest

Hosting a gift-wrapping contest is an awesome way to add a layer of fun and competition to your gathering, especially if you’ve got a super creative friend group. Encourage your guests to wrap their gift in unusual, elaborate and artistic ways and conduct an anonymous vote to declare the winner. Make sure to include first place, second place and third place winners and be sure to reward the winners with some awesome prizes.

10. Bake Amazing Desserts

During the holidays, the desserts aren’t just part of the meal; they’re part of the whole affair. Spend the days leading up to the gathering putting together a few amazing baked goods or baking a classic Christmas cookie assortment that everyone will love. You can even turn the gathering into a cookie swap and encourage guests to bring a few dozen of their favorite cookies too.

Holiday parties can and should still be fun and festive, even without the booze. The key is making sure you replace the alcohol with plenty of entertainment, activities and holiday flavors. With the right combo of party extras, no one will miss the alcohol one bit!